I was a warrior once upon a time
by Sidus Alatus
Summary: Gordon tells Kyle an epic tale of how he saves Norad back when he was a warrior. Gordon also tells of how he meets Douglas, Natalie, and Egan in Ark 1. Story set before Rune Factory one and RuneFactory two. Kyle gets bonus chapters in between arks. A new cameo in chapter 10!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own the Rune Factory franchise or any of it's characters only the plot and any OCs. Any similarities in plot or character to any other series is purely coincidental.**

 _Chapter one_

 _Prologue_

A red haired young man walked down the main road of his new hometown Alvarna after a long hard day on his farm. He couldn't remember his old hometown; in fact he couldn't remember much at all before he had wandered into town.

It wasn't that bad though. Mana (the girl that found him) adored him ,and her father gave him a house and a piece of land to farm on. Plus he had got to swim and fish all he wanted, being that Alvarna is a port town.

Half of the eligible bachelorettes in town also liked him, though he couldn't blame them seeing as the girls outnumbered the guys by more than two to one. He was pondering why this was when he heard laughing as he passed the clinic. He was about to dismiss it then he heard more laughing, since he had nothing better to do for awhile he decided to check it out.

Once inside the clinic he could make out what the town doctor Natalie was saying.

"...and then Buffus he…" she was laughing too hard to finish.

"It wasn't that funny." said a man.

"Yes it was Douglas." said another man who was also laughing. Kyle recognized that voice to be the town priest Gordon. Kyle turned the corner and seen the three together.

"Ah Kyle what brings you here?" Asked the taller of the two men.

"Uhh…I heard all the laughing and I thought I would join in with ya Gordon" Kyle said than added "Hello Douglas. Natalie. Is today a festival I don't know about?" The three often drank together in the clinic on festivals.

"Kinda, we're celebrating having been friends for so long and reminiscing on old times" answered Natalie.

"Would you like to join us?" Asked Gordon.

Kyle found it hard to refuse the priest anything. With a large scar over his closed right eye and then his sheer size to boot he could easily intimidate someone, though the man was truly kindhearted and a pacifist, at least nowadays.

After Kyle sat down Douglas offered him a drink. Kyle really didn't want one, but Douglas (Mana's dad) could also be intimidating with his large muscular build and bushy mustache. That said, Kyle had seen the man turn to butter for his daughter many times. Kyle still ended up nodding his head and accepting a drink made by Natalie, which he found hard to swallow.

"Let's tell him about when we first met" Douglas said.

"Ya, you tell it Gordon you tell the best stories" Natalie piped in.

"Well, I am well practiced at it" he said with a laugh. "OK now then. Kyle." Gordon said this with a serious look on his face and then informed him: "Now there may be some things in this story about me that you find unexpected, but you must remember I wasn't always a priest. I was a warrior once."

* * *

 **Gordon's adventure starts next chapter! His story will tell how Gordon, Douglas, and Natalie first met and how they saved Norad. Also will tell how Cecilia ends up working for Egan.**

 **To Kyle fans,**

 **Kyle's not the main character of this story, but he will have sub stories between Arks. Many of the other Runefactory characters will make appearances or will be referenced also.**


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

 _A man and his Buffus_

A young man and his pack buffamoo walked south along the coastal stretch of the main road to the border of the Norad and the Sechs empire. He had an impressive build and semi long black hair. He wore a plated armor that was rather plain with a broadsword at his hip. To add to his rather intimidating appearance he had a large single sided axe in his right hand resting on his shoulder.

He was a warrior for peace, and sometimes hire. This time he had been contracted by the government of Norad to investigate reports of raids on small towns and settlements near the border. All the reports the Norad officials had got varied and were mostly rumors. Some reports said it was Sechs soldiers others claimed it was bandits; one report stated it was monsters and that they had attacked at night.

"Ah ha ha ha. It doesn't matter what I'm up against I always come out on top! They don't call me Gordon the Great for nothing" exclaimed the young man. "Ain't that right Buffus?"

His buffamoo snorted in agreement… Or maybe it was disagreement it was hard to tell. Buffus then let out a long low grunt. Gordon knew what that meant.

" Ya Buff I'm getting tired too, but we're almost to Sea Dunes village. Just think I could have loaded you down with my armor and weapons too" Gordon told his buffamoo.

Buffus responded to this with another snort. This time Gordon knew it was in disagreement.

To this Gordon laughed " I've spent too much time on the road if I think I'm starting to understand you."

Buffus responded with another snort.

This time it sounded like he agreed.

"Yep I'm going into the first tavern I see to socialize with some humans" Gordon said with a smile. Of course socializing wasn't the only reason he would go to the tavern first, it had been a long and hot walk from the last town.

It's a shame most horses couldn't support the weight of him and his armor. He had bought Buffus to ride instead, since buffamoos could support much more weight. Buffus was one of the biggest buffamoos Gordon had ever seen when he bought him. Unfortunately for Gordon his Buffus proved to be stubborn at times and would slow to the pace of a turtle if he did not want to be rode, even though Buffus was more than capable of supporting the weight.

To Gordon's right were sand dunes of various sizes as he got closer to the village they would increase in size and number. The dunes were a natural structure that helped protect the town from storms and invaders coming off the ocean. He could see the town in the distance they should be there before dark with time to spare.

Sea Dunes village was really more of a bustling town. It was a tourist attraction being the last coastal town along the main drag; it also doubled as the first town if you were headed north. There were more towns along the coast but you had to start bearing west. Being that it was close to the Sechs / Norad border the town got Sechs tourist too, when relations between the two nations are going good that is.

"I see two guards up at the town gate" Gordon told his buffamoo. "You think they'll hassle us?"

Buffus grunted.

"You're right, oh course they will". Gordon couldn't blame the guards of most towns for hassling him, after all he looked like he was ready for battle at all times. He went ahead and put his axe and broadsword in one of Buffus's large saddle bags. At least he would be unarmed.

One of the guards raised his spear to block the path, but the other didn't.

"Relax I recognize him. He knows the rules of the town and he's already put his weapons away." The older guard told his younger help.

They let him pass without another word just a nod as he walked by.

Gordon and Buffus entered the town. They walked under the big wooden sign at the entrance that had Welcome To Sea Dunes Village carved in it. They took the first left and that would lead them straight to the Driftwood Inn and Tavern.

 **Buffus will probably be the only long standing OC and a buffamoo is basically a bull.**


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

 _A battle of manliness_

There were nicer taverns and inns in Sea Dunes, but Driftwood was the one Gordon frequented. They had everything a tavern in a tourist town should. A room for the night, card tables, scantily clad women, and even a stable that had no problem with buffamoos. Gordon had also become friends with the barkeeper and some of the help.

Gordon entered the stable first and looked for the help. He recognized the attendant immediately. The attendant appeared to be a tall man in his early thirties with dark hair and a large nose, but he was really an elf close to a century year old. His hat covered his ears.

"Hey Egan" Gordon said a little loud to get the elf's attention.

"Huh"? Egan said as he turned around. "Ah Gordon it's good to see you" he said with a large smile.

"Good to see you too. You look happy I know you didn't miss me that much." Gordon said.

"Yes, I've saved up enough money to start an inn of my own and just in time. Emmett sold out said he disliked all the hustle and bustle of Sea Dunes. He should almost be to Kardia by now" Egan told him and then added "I don't think the new owner takes well to the fact that I'm an elf either." His smile faded from his face as he said this.

"Ah what a shame, prejudice is everywhere, well anyway you know what to do with Buffus and my gear." Gordon tipped the elf and left the stables.

Gordon entered the bar and scanned his surroundings. The barkeeper was definitely not Emmett what a shame. His eyes happened upon an attractive red haired woman. His gaze moved on and landed on a man about his age that was even larger than him, though not taller.

Gordon walked past the card tables and took a seat at the bar a little ways in between the two figures that had caught his attention. The new bartender served him a drink. Who would he talk to first? If Emmett was here Gordon would talk to him first.

He found his gaze wandering back over to the woman. Their eyes met and Gordon smiled. Looks like it was ladies first, then she frowned and broke eye contact, or not...

He looked over to the large man who had short blonde hair and a bushy mustache. He seemed to be having a jolly old time with his companions.

Gordon got up and walked towards the man. His companions quieted when Gordon approached. The large man turned and seemed to size Gordon up.

"I've never seen any one bigger than me before…" the man said.

"Neither have I" Gordon said with a chuckle. "The name's Gordon".

"Name's Douglas. I think once you take all that armor off I'd be bigger." Douglas stated with a laugh.

"But I'd still be taller" Gordon responded then added " and stronger".

" I doubt it. I'm so strong when I plow my field I drag the plow and the horse does the guiding." Douglas boasted and laughed.

"Well I'm so strong I pull carriages around for fun" Gordon retorted sarcastically.

"Err…well I'm so brave I'd dash into a burning house to save the children" Douglas said proudly.

"Ah, but you would leave the parents in there to burn?" Gordon's question had Douglas's companions in an uproar of laughter.

" Hey that's not what I…" before Douglas could finish Gordon interrupted him.

"I'm so brave I would go kill the dragon that lit the house aflame."

"Grr… I'm so brave and strong I could take down an army of goblins" Douglas said.

"I'm so strong and brave I can take down an army of orcs" Gordon answered back.

"I'm so renowned for my bravery and strength people say I can defeat Terrable and Fiersome runs from my name!" Douglas practically shouted the last part.

"Oh... I'm so famous for my strength and bravery Aquaticus wanted me to guard his temple and Ventuswill wants me as her personal guardian." Gordon smiled as he said this knowing he had the upper hand since Douglas was getting flustered.

This went on for a while...Douglas would come up with something and Gordon would respond with something better. Douglas's companions got tired of the battle wits and left, but soon their banter had caught the rest of the bar's attention mostly because Douglas started to rant and get loud.

Gordon looked at the crowd that had gathered and noticed the red haired women had moved closer and seemed to be enjoying the competition. Maybe he would get to talk to her, but first he had to prove he was the bigger man. Than again maybe it would just be easier to prove Douglas wasn't all the man he claimed to be.

Douglas noticed Gordon had gone silent and took advantage of it and quickened his bragging and started to flex his muscles. He was talking so fast Gordon didn't think he would be able to get a word in even if he wanted to. Douglas began to strut around and started talking to the crowd more than Gordon.

"No one can beat these muscles, ain't nobody got a 'stache like mine, no man can be near as handsome as me, I am the greatest, I am the best!" Douglas struck a pose with the last part.

And just when Gordon thought it was all over Douglas started all over again, but with synonyms.

"Check out these forceps. Check out these biceps. Check out these triceps!" Douglas flexed all his arm muscles at once. "I've got the most gorgeous hair and mustache." He ran his fingers through his hair and twirled his mustache. "I'm the most beautiful man you'll ever see. I am the greatest, I am the best!" again he struck a pose.

Douglas continued on " I'm the strongest, I'm the greatest, I'm the best, yada yada yada, blah blah blah…

Gordon was getting sick of it. He was ready to leave the the bar and go talk to Egan some more when Douglas said something that caught his attention.

"I can out pack a buffamoo. I can out eat a De Sainte-Coquille. And I damn sure can out wrestle anybody. I am the greatest, I am the best!" Douglas struck his pose again.

"Hold on there Douglas" Gordon said before he started all over again. "Why don't you prove it."

"Alright! But we better go outside to wrestle or we'll wreck this place" Douglas said with glee.

"No. The first part" Gordon told him.

"OK. I'll out pack a buffamoo!" Douglas said. "But the nearest ranch is at least five miles from town and I ain't traveling that far at night".

"There's a buffamoo in the stables" Gordon said smugly.

"Err…" All of the sudden Douglas seemed unsure of himself and then he looked at the crowd. " Alright! We just need the owner's permission."

"You have my permission" and then it was Gordon's turn to speak to the crowd. "What do you say we take this outside folks?" The crowd roared with approval he heard Douglas curse in the background.

Gordon smiled as he led the way out of the bar. _Buffus will put him in his place._


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

 _Man versus beast_

Gordon left the people in the street, most of whom were taking bets, and went into the stable. He was shocked to see Egan hard at it mucking out one of the stables.

"What happened to the regular stable boy?" Gordon asked.

"He quit and like I said the owner doesn't care for elves I've been demoted. What do need Gordon? Egan asked with a sigh.

"Buffus has a point to prove." Gordon said.

"Huh?"

"A man named Douglas has a big head and I'm gonna knock him down a peg." Gordon laughed at his clever rhythm.

"Douglas? Hehe… I'd like to see that. Hey can I ask a favor? Egan asked.

"Sure."

"Can I travel with you? At least until we hit the next town."

Gordon was surprised by his request, but he had grown to like the elf. "Alright, but I plan on leaving tomorrow."

"That's fine I'll be ready." Egan said happily.

"Hopefully I find a less discriminating town."

"I hope so too." Gordon said as he unlatched Buffus's stable door.

"Now listen Buffus. I'm sorry to wake you, but there's a man outside who says he's stronger than you. What do think about that?"

Buffus let out a snort.

"That's what I thought. You ready to win a competition?"

Buffus bellowed then he got up and walked toward the stable entrance. Egan watched him walk by then he looked back at Gordon who just shrugged his shoulders and said:

"He accepted the challenge."

Douglas was waiting right outside the stables. "Took you long enough" and then he seen the size of Buffus. Gordon almost could have laughed at the expression on his face. They could hear some of the crowd cursing and some cheering.

"Alright let's get this show on the road. Egan do yall have any sandbags?" Gordon asked.

"Yes right over there in the alleyway. There's a whole stack for storm season." The elf answered.

"OK you'll walk the distance from there to the end of the bar and back and then we'll repeat with two more sandbags each run."

They started with four bags and quickly worked their way up to ten. Gordon had to give Douglas credit he was still holding on, but it wouldn't be long.

"Hey Buffus if it gets to be too much let me know." Gordon said.

Buffus just gave a snort and took two more bags like it was nothing.

Douglas however was having trouble holding on to all of his bags; he had three on each shoulder, one in each hand, and two on his head. Egan didn't even know where to put two more.

"Umm…Can you take any more?" Asked Egan.

"Ya tie 'em on. I got a buffamoo to beat!" Douglas said too full of pride to quit.

Douglas made it to sixteen and then he started to lose his balance. "No no no no no" Douglas cried as he fell backwards. He crashed hard and sand went everywhere especially down his pants.

The crowd, which had grown huge at this point went wild. Some laughed, some cheered, and some cried.

Douglas rolled off the sand mound and onto flat ground. There he lay defeated and shamed. He watched Buffus throw his load off and walk toward him.

Buffus did a victory bellow and stomped the ground.

"Ya...ya... rub it in you stupid beast."

Buffus heard his insult. He snorted and turned around then he backed up.

Douglas was staring at the sky trying to figure out what his next move would be and how he could never show his face in Sea Dunes again when all of the sudden he was staring at the rear end of a buffamoo! "Oh cr…"

*Splat* He was interrupted.

"Not only did Buffus put him in his place, he also pooped on his face." Gordon said in between laughs; at which point Egan could no longer hold it in and he too began to laugh uncontrollably.

The crowd went ballistic with laughter.

Douglas was not amused.

 **To whom it may concern,**

 **I'll try to make an update a week, but no promises. On another note if you're seeing any grammatical or punctual errors please let me know so that I can improve my writing thank you.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

 _A testosterone fueled duel_

Douglas jumped up and wiped the excrement off his face which was beet red from both embarrassment and anger. He looked at the crowd and seen they were all laughing at him including the beautiful redhead he had been wanting to talk to all night. Now he became furious and screamed: "All this proves is I can't out pack a buffamoo! I'm still the greatest! I'm still the best!" He didn't pose this time.

The crowd and the red haired woman began to laugh even harder at Douglas when they heard him.

Douglas didn't see what was so funny. "Grrr... Where's that tin can man!?" Douglas looked over toward Gordon and pointed at him. "You!"

"Uh oh." Egan noticed Douglas first. Gordon was rolling on the ground laughing.

"Umm.. Gordon we got a problem."

Douglas was walking towards them and he looked infuriated. "You've made a fool of me Gordon!"

Gordon got up on his feet. "You did that to yourself by being such a braggart."

"Well I'm still a bigger man than you! You had to have your animal fight your battle for you" Douglas growled out. "Why don't you take off that armor and fight me like a man!"

" I've already proved my point." Gordon answered slightly annoyed.

"Your Dofus proved your point." Douglas answered.

"His name is Buffus." Gordon growled out now fully annoyed.

"Whatever. You ain't nothing but a cockadoodle." Douglas tucked his hands into his armpits and started to flap his arms like wings and while making clucking noises.

This ticked Gordon off, but not enough to fight.

"Cockadoodle do I'm Gordon!" Douglas yelled as he began to sweep dirt with his feet further completing his cockadoodle imitation.

Gordon seen the red haired woman smiling and laughing at them along with the rest of the crowd. This ticked Gordon off enough to wanna fight. _He's ruining my chances with her!..._

"Do I have to do this all night or am I gonna have to sucker punch you to get a fight?" Asked Douglas.

Gordon reached back into the hidden spot in his armor's backside and undid the clasp. The top half came loose and he pulled it off revealing his muscular build. He heard the crowd gasp and start to take bets on the fight.

"Are you really gonna fight him?" Egan asked.

"I don't think he's gonna give me much choice" Gordon answered as he unlatched the bottom half of his armor.

As Gordon stepped out of his armor Egan seen something he really wished he hadn't."Hey Gordon!"

"Not now!" Gordon said as he and Douglas started to circle each other. Then the crowd started to laugh as Gordon's back became turned to them. "Huh? What's so funny?" Gordon turned around to see if there was something behind him and Douglas started to laugh. "What is it?!"

"Ahahaha, your pants got a hole in the back" Douglas laughed out.

"Oh" Gordon had forgotten about that. His pants were made to go under armor and had a rear flap for easy access without needing to take the armor off all the way; the flap had torn off a while back. This time Gordon's face went red from embarrassment and he really wanted to fight now.

Gordon brought his fists up in front of his face and started to approach him, while Douglas did the same. The crowd started to cheer. The red haired woman began to frown, but nobody noticed.

Douglas threw the first punch which Gordon blocked. Gordon retaliated with a straight left that Douglas caught and then he threw his own which Gordon caught. They stood there locked in place for a moment.

Douglas went for the pin with his signature move The Douglas Spin. Douglas threw himself backward bringing Gordon with him. Gordon would have crashed on top except Douglas spring kicked him in the gut and used the momentum to continue the roll and landed on top standing on Gordon who was flat on his back.

Douglas was still standing on Gordon's stomach when he started to yell " I took him down in record time! I am the greatest, I am the…" Douglas didn't get to finish however.

" You ain't nothing." Gordon grabbed him by the ankles and threw him off and rolled backwards onto his feet. Then Gordon did one of his favorite moves Deadweight. Gordon body slammed full force into Douglas knocking him down, but he got right back up.

Douglas used one of his favorite moves The Flying Knee. He ran toward Gordon and jumped then threw his knee out towards Gordon's face. A teeth buster for sure, except he came to a sudden halt.

Gordon had caught Douglas midair by his knee and began to spin both of them around in circles. This was a move a man with a red hat and nice moustache had thought him, it was Mario's Throw. Gordon spun a few revolutions, took aim and let go.

Douglas crash landed into the pile of sand. More sand in his pants. He recovered and went back for more.

Douglas had proven to be much more agile than Gordon thought he would be and was proving difficult to beat. They were both blocking the majority of each other's punches and the ones that did slip by were only glancing blows.

Gordon did a kick which sent Douglas reeling.

Douglas threw an uppercut which sent Gordon leaning.

The two men charged each other and they both threw a full powered right hook. Both fist collided with the corresponding face. Both men lay on the ground in a waste.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter six_

 _In the hands of an angel_

Gordon awoke in a white room to the tune of a soft hum. He looked to his right to find the source. It was the red haired woman. Her back was turned, but he knew it was her. _Is she a nurse? I think I'm in an infirmary. Well now's my chance to talk to her, though I wish we could meet under better circumstances_.

Gordon faked a groan and got her attention. She turned around and he looked at her with half closed eyes.

"Darn. Douglas must have done me in. I'm looking at an angel." Gordon said this as sincerely as he could.

"You two are lucky you didn't kill each other" She told him while trying to suppress a smile.

"Ah I'm still alive!" Gordon said with a grin. "My name's Gordon. May I have the pleasure of knowing my angel's name?"

"My name's Natalie and I'm no angel. I am however a doctor and if it weren't for Egan and I you might not still be alive."

"What happened?" Gordon asked.

"After you and Douglas knocked each other out the crowd went nuts. I'd say half the town was there and half of that crowd was taking bets on who would come out on top and when you both lost they all started to argue over who won. A riot broke out and Egan enlisted a few people to help drag you and Douglas to my place before the crowd could take their anger out on you."

"Hmm…" Gordon thought about what she had said before asking " Where's Douglas?"

"He's in the next room. I need to check on him actually." Natalie responded before walking through a door to the next room.

Gordon got up and scanned the room and there in the corner was his armor. He began to put it on when he realized he could hear Douglas talking to Natalie.

"Wow I must be dead I'm seeing an angel."

Natalie started to laugh.

 _I need to think up better pick up lines_ Gordon thought to himself as he finished putting on his armor.

Natalie came back in the room. "Well he's in no worse condition than you that's for sure." Then she noticed he was ready to leave. "Oh… you're getting ready to leave?" She sounded a little disappointed.

"Yes I have a job to do. Why were you hoping for a date?" Gordon asked with a smile.

Her face turned a shade of pink, but her voice was stern as she responded "No, but I do have a favor to ask."

"Oh, well what is it?"

"I need an escort to the next town. The roads haven't been safe lately and I don't think anyone will mess with you." Natalie told him.

"I'm headed south" Gordon responded not really wanting to escort her.

"I know. When Egan told me he was going with you I decided this was the time."

Gordon rubbed his chin as he thought about it _Damn Douglas popped me good I won't be able to eat anything hard for a while._ Then he started to think about what she said. Gordon usually worked alone, but her and Egan should be out of his way before he gets too close to the border plus maybe he'd get that date after all.

"OK I'll do it. Now what was that about the roads not being safe?" he asked thinking it could be related to his mission.

"There have been rumors of raids by monsters and soldiers lately." Natalie told him.

"Did you say monsters and soldiers?"

"Yes, but they're just rumors."

"Well let's hope their not true…" Gordon said truly. "Anyway gather your stuff and get ready after I go back to the Driftwood Inn and get my stuff I'll be ready."

"No need. Egan brought all your belongings and your buffamoo; they're in the stable next door with my mare."

"Well that's convenient. Now about those raids. How close are they getting to here and aren't you afraid to be heading towards them?" Gordon asked her.

"Reports say they're heading west close to the border, on our side of course, and the next town isn't far. There's still a good distance between us and the raids especially if they're headed west."

" Well alright, but I'm not paying your clinic bill than."

"It's a deal" She said.

"Oh I almost forgot. I'm gonna visit the town church before I leave. Tell Egan I'll meet you two outside the town." Gordon told her.

"Alright" she said surprised.

Gordon walked out of the city gates with Buffus and all his gear. He thought he was gonna get out without any trouble, but he was confronted by the guard at the gate who had vouched for him.

"Damn Gordon I told my apprentice you wouldn't start any trouble." The guard told him in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry. In my defense I didn't really start it…" Gordon responded slightly embarrassed.

"Oh well." A smile crept onto the guard's face. "That was the most excitement this town has seen in awhile; they'll be talking about it for seasons to come."

"The town folks did not look too happy towards me…" Gordon said.

"They'll get over it just wait a while before you come back." The guard told him.

"I will thanks." Gordon gave the guard his farewell and walked back under the wooden sign he had walked under on his way into town. _I wish I could remember his name, oh well._

There outside of town was Natalie and Egan waiting with their horses and to his surprise Douglas was there with a horse too.

"Are ya'll two ready?" Gordon asked them while ignoring Douglas.

"Yes we are" Natalie anwsered then said "and Douglas is coming with."

"What!?" Gordon and Douglas said in unison. The two men glared at each other.

"I got you both to agree to escort me and if one of you backs out now… Well I guess we'll know who's the bigger man" she said smugly.

"Fine!" They said together. The two men continued to glare at each other.

Natalie frowned this trip wasn't gonna be as fun as she thought if they were going to act like this the whole way.

"Why don't you two just apologize to each other? You're both big and strong and probably have a lot in common."

The two men just stared at each other with despise.

Egan whispered something into Natalie's ear. "Ah good deal" she whispered back.

"Well I thought we were gonna find out who was truly the bigger man, but it turns out that neither of you are that big at all."

This caught their attention. Both the men began to apologize to each other profusely.

"I'm sorry Douglas. I never should have told you I was taller."

"No. I'm sorry I that I insisted I was the strongest."

"No no. It's my fault. I shouldn't have made you compete against Buffus." Gordon said.

"Oh no. I'm to blame for picking the fight." Douglas told him.

Buffus grunted.

"Oh. I'm sorry I called you a stupid animal." Douglas told Buffus.

Buffus let out a moo.

"Huh. I think he just apologized back." Gordon told Douglas.

Douglas patted Buffus between his horns.

"Well I'm apologizing for not letting you continue your ridiculous chicken dance." Gordon joked.

"No no. It's my fault for… Hey!" Douglas caught on to his jest. "I pride myself on my cockadoodle impression."

They all shared a laugh at that statement.

"Do you use a weapon?" Gordon asked Douglas.

"Ya I got a giant hammer; it must weight a megaton." Douglas pointed over to a rather large black stallion that had a hammer hanging from its side.

"Ooo." Gordon's eyes opened wide with delight. " I wield a broadsword and a short shaft axe."

"Why the shortened shaft?" Douglas asked.

"Makes it easier to use one handed, so I can leave my left hand open for my broadsword or a shield if needed." Gordon answered.

"You dual wield with an axe?" This time Douglas's eyes went wide.

The two began to talk of battles and strategies. Natalie and Egan were astonished at the sudden change in demeanor between the two men.

"Well I think we should get going" Egan said interrupting their male bonding.

"You're right let's get going" Gordon agreed.

Natalie, Egan, and Douglas got on their horses. Gordon looked at Buffus.

Buffus snorted.

Gordon sighed. _It's gonna be a long journey._


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

 _Back to the present_

" And that's how we met." Gordon told Kyle.

Kyle had been served several drinks by Douglas, each gaining in strength, and was starting to feel pretty good and tired. "That's nice Gordon. It was a good story, but I need to get to bed so I can wake up at six tomorrow morning" he finished with a yawn.

"But there's more to it" Gordon said.

"Ya. He's about to get to the part where I beat him in a race." Douglas added.

"I won that race" Gordon said.

"I don't think so." Douglas argued back.

"Douglas is right. You didn't win, I did" Natalie interjected.

Kyle spoke up. "I bet Egan would say he won the race if he was here."

The three friends looked at each other. Then they laughed.

"He probably would" said Gordon.

"Why doesn't Egan hang out with ya'll if the four of you were good friends?" Asked Kyle.

Natalie answered him. "Me and him got into a dispute a few years back. Jake and Ray got into an argument and we both took our son's side.

"What was the argument about?" Kyle asked her.

"I don't even remember. We got over it but it hurt all our friendships."

"Seems like after a few years you should be able to renew that friendship." Kyle thought he sounded very sagely right then, of course those things happen when you've been drinking.

"Maybe he's right Natalie. He should be here" as Douglas said this it looked like a tear was welling up in his eyes.

"I agree when we meet back up to finish the story we should invite him. Agreed?" Gordon asked them.

"Agreed" the three of them answered.

Gordon, Natalie, and Douglas looked at Kyle.

"What? I agree."

"OK" Gordon said with a chuckle. "How about we pick back up two days after tomorrow?"

"Why not tomorrow?"

"Because you've got a lot of work to do on your farm and with that hangover you're gonna be moving pretty slow tomorrow."

"Hangover?" Kyle said this confused.

"You'll find out all about it tomorrow. As far as the day after tomorrow I'll be busy." Gordon said with a smile.

Kyle thought about it. "Ah it'll be Sunday. Well we'll meet back up on Monday. Ya'll have a good night." Kyle stood up "whoa" he almost lost his balance "whoa" now he grabbed his head.

"Headrush? You stood up to fast!" Douglas told him with a laugh.

"Ya'll have a good night" Kyle told them as he stumbled to the door.

 _Special subchapter_

 _Kyle and Mana_

The next morning Kyle did not get up at six In the morning. In fact he didn't wake up until at least eight; he didn't get out of bed until nine.

He worked his way down the stairs of his house and towards the kitchen. He didn't remember much after leaving the clinic, but the mess that awaited him told him he must have tried to make something to eat last night.

 _Oh… My aching head…_ Kyle thought to himself as he worked his way through the disaster area. He got himself a cup of water; his mouth was a desert. Kyle took a big swig of water.

"Ah" he gasped out then his eyes shot wide open and he ran for the door. He barely made it out the door and down the steps before he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Urp. Blaaahhh." He up-chucked last night's dinner. _Ah Macaroni and cheese that's what I had. I think I feel a little better._

"So it's true!" This exclamation from a very familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Uhh Mana... Good morning" Kyle stammered out. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough" Mana said annoyed. "When dad told me you were drinking with him last night I just couldn't believe it, yet the evidence is right there on your front lawn."

"Am I not allowed to drink?" Kyle asked her. He had known Mana long enough to be ready for this and he figured he had a fifty percent chance of catching her by surprise.

"No.. I...errrr… yes?" Mana's demeanor changed with the surprise question.

 _Alright it worked, but I better be careful I can still blow this._ Kyle thought to himself before passing the blame. "Douglas didn't tell you he was the one that convinced me to have a drink and that he was mixing them, did he?" It was mostly true, though Natalie had mixed the first one. Probably to break him in easy.

"No... he didn't." Mana said as she started to do her angry pout.

Kyle felt his face start to heat up as he thought about telling her she looked cute when she pouted like that. He slowly dismissed the idea since he wasn't sure about his feelings towards Mana and he didn't want to lead her on until he was sure.

"Your face is getting red. Are you gonna puke again?" Mana asked as she took a step back.

"No.. My head still hurts though." He said pitifully.

"Aww. Do you need help with anything? She asked.

"Ya. Here you can start watering my crops while I check on my livestock."

"OK…" she said hesitantly as he handed her a watering can.

 _Yes. That went over well._ Kyle thought to himself as he quickly shuffled his way to the barn before she could change her mind.

Come Monday night Kyle found himself walking with Mana toward the clinic. She told him she wanted to hear the rest of Gordon's story, but he had a feeling she just wanted to keep an eye on him and her dad.

As Kyle pushed open the door to the clinic he could hear laughing and another man talking.

"And then Buffus he… he…" The man, who Kyle recognized to be Egan, started laughing and couldn't finish.

"It wasn't that funny" Douglas growled.

"Yes it was." Gordon and Natalie said together.

Kyle and Mana walked around the corner.

Gordon, Douglas, Natalie,Egan and surprisingly Herman (The town's food connoisseur and millionaire) had wine glasses in their hands.

"Dad! I Thought you said you weren't gonna drink!" Mana asked angrily.

"Oh. I forgot you were coming." Douglas said lowly.

Gordon started to snicker.

"And you" Mana pointed at Gordon. "You're the town priest, you should behave better."

Gordon looked down at his drink in shame.

Natalie spoke up "Gordon and Douglas have lived your lifetime at least twice over. You don't have the right to tell them what to do. They both are good men and have done good deeds."

"Well we didn't help by encouraging them either.." Herman interjected.

"It was my fault I brought out a rare bottle of wine to celebrate" Egan intervened. "Rollibouti in fact only ten bottles ever made and we haven't even taken a sip yet. I just got done pouring the glasses."

"No. I'm sorry Natalie is right." Mana said hanging her head in shame.

"I think they forgive you" Natalie told her.

Gordon and Douglas nodded in agreement.

"Alright now that we've settled down. I've got this wine I've been holding onto for close to half a century and I would really like to drink it with my pals." Egan said.

"I agree" said Douglas

"I second that" Gordon said.

Natalie held her glass up and made a toast "to good health".

"And good friends" added Gordon.

They all toasted and took a sip. Their faces puckered up.

"No wonder they only made ten bottles" Douglas said.

"And to think of the money I would have paid for a bottle…" Herman said.

Kyle laughed and asked "are we ready to continue the story now?"

"Ya I'm ready to pick back up. Are the rest of you ready?" Gordon asked them.

"Yes" a few answered.

The rest nodded.

Kyle looked over at Herman and Egan. "Are ya'll caught up?"

"I've heard it before" Herman answered.

"I was there" Egan replied.

"Of course" Kyle said slightly embarrassed. He had filled Mana in on what she missed though he felt like she had heard it before. "Ahhm" Kyle cleared his throat and gestured for Gordon to continue.

"Let's see… I was just about to win a race against my companions." Gordon said with a grin.

"Wait the race from the crossings to Salty Harbor? Didn't I come in first?" Egan asked.

"You were a close second behind me" Natalie told him.

"I don't think so I won." Douglas stated.

"No, the race from Sea Dunes to the crossings. I won that one. I won both actually." Gordon said proudly.

"If you want to call that a race…" Douglas said. "And I won both."

"It was close enough, anyway let's continue." Gordon started back on his story.

"Now before I could win said races I had a stubborn buffamoo to deal with…"

 **Late update on this one, but it's a little longer. Not a big demand for this story anyway at least as far as I can tell, but for those that are reading, this story will be separated into story arcs (about three) separated by Kyle chapters. This is the end of arc one and chapter eight is well on its way.**


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

 _The race_

Gordon whispered into Buffus's ear. "Come on Buffus after everything we went through yesterday you don't want to embarrass us now."

Buffus just snorted.

"If you haven't noticed they're all mounted. If you don't let me mount up they're gonna think they're better than us."

Another snort from Buffus.

"Douglas is gonna think his horse is stronger than you."

Buffus grunted and laid down to allow Gordon to mount up easier.

"Nice one Buffus you've already out done them." Gordon said as he got on.

Buffus grunted again and started to mosey on down the others followed behind.

Douglas trotted his horse up next to Gordon. "I don't know about you, but I want to get there" he said while looking down at Gordon.

"Buffus is getting up to speed" Gordon said while staring straight ahead. The idea of having to look up at Douglas didn't sit well

with him, even if it was only a couple of inches.

"Well, while he's getting up to speed, I'll be getting up to speed. Hyah!" Douglas and his faithful steed took off.

Gordon was impressed with Douglas's stallion and not only with his speed but by his size too. He looked like he could support Gordon and all his gear. Egan and Natalie trotted their horses up next to Buffus.

Egan was at eye level with Gordon and Natalie was still shorter.

"Wow Shadow's fast." Natalie said.

"Is that the name of Douglas's horse?" Gordon asked.

"Yep, but he's right it'll take forever to get there at this rate. Can Buffus go faster?" She asked him.

"That's up to him" Gordon answered. "What do you think Buffus. Do you want everyone to think you're slow as a turtle?"

Buffus bellowed in response then charged down the road nearly throwing Gordon off.

"Well it looks like Buffus can be fast if he wants to." Egan said surprised by the burst of speed.

"I think he's catching up to Douglas." Natalie responded. "Come on Alicia we don't want to be turtles" Natalie told her mare before riding off after them.

"Errr…. Let's go…" Egan had just recently bought the mare. He hadn't yet named her and he was unsure of her speed. She bolted down the road.

000

"Haha. At least I've got the fastest mount." Douglas chuckled to himself as he pulled on the reins to slow Shadow down so the others could catch up.

He looked back and Buffus blasted by him with Gordon holding on for dear life. Natalie and Egan weren't far behind.

"Alright Shadow, you're the ultimate horse, show them what you're made of!" Douglas shouted.

Shadow responded by taking off after Buffus. He was quickly up to speed, but he wasn't catching up. _Nyah nyah nyah nyah_ Shadow thought (Roughly translated that means: no buffamoo is gonna out race me!). Shadow shifted into another gear and began to accelerate to speeds faster than ever.

000

Egan was almost caught up with Natalie. _Wow this horse is fast I need to give her a name to suit such speed. Sonic?.. No that's a boy name. Maybe Speedy? No too easy._

His mare jumped over something in the road and he almost fell off. _Whoa… The name can wait I better pay attention to the road._ He looked up and realized he catching up to Natalie.

 _It feels good to have the wind in my hair. It's been awhile since I've had Alicia at a good run._ Natalie thought to herself. _But Douglas and Gordon are pulling away._ She heard Egan passing on her right. She looked over at him.

"Don't you know your supposed to pass on the left!"

"Oh no I didn't…" Egan said surprised.

"Ya it's a rule of the road, so pass on the left." Natalie told him with a straight face.

"OK" Egan slowed his horse, got back behind her and moved to the left side.

 _Sucker! Men can be so gullible sometimes._ Natalie thought as Egan slowed; she urged her horse to go faster when he was behind her. "Haya!"

"Hey!" Egan yelled as she pulled him. _Darn. Why am I so gullible?_ He thought to himself as he lightly kicked his mare's sides to go faster.

000

Gordon had gained a better hold of Buffus and felt like he had some kind of control. He peeked behind him at his bags and gear,which was still intact, and relaxed a little. Gordon was worried all the jolting would shake something loose but everything was secured tight. He glanced back behind him to see how far ahead he was.

Douglas wasn't too far back and seemed to be catching up. Natalie and Egan were falling farther back little by little. Gordon looked ahead and could see the Crossings up ahead.

The Crossings was the local name for the last cross road to the border. If they continued going south they'd be heading straight for the Sechs empire, east would lead them further inland, and west would keep them along the coast.

Gordon had originally planned on continuing south, but he decided they would head west towards the town Salty Harbor. He didn't want to take Natalie and Egan towards danger, though he was thinking about enlisting Douglas for his mission.

"We're stopping at the Crossings Buffus." Gordon told his buffamoo. He gave a light tug on the reins to slow Buffus.

Buffus didn't respond he just continued his charge.

"Buffus?" Gordon pulled on the reins a little harder. Buffus started to slow for Gordon, but then he could hear Shadow catching up. Buffus must have heard it too because he picked up speed again.

000

At this point Douglas was no longer in control of Shadow, even though he thought he was. He was really just holding on and thinking.

 _Buffus is faster than I thought, but Shadow is catching up. Where is Gordon going anyway? I figured we would turn west…_

 _Hey what's he yelling about?_

000

Buffus shot right through the Crossings Gordon yelling for him to stop the whole time.

"STOP! PLEASE STOP! DARN IT BUFFUS STOP RIGHT NOW!" Gordon screamed at the top of his lungs. He then yanked on the reins hard.

Buffus turned left towards some bushes growing on the side of the road. He then came to a sudden halt and bucked his rear end. Gordon front flipped through the air before crash landing in the brush.

Shadow shot right past Buffus even though Douglas was trying to stop him. He ran another thirty feet or more before Douglas got him slowed down and turned back around. They then ran to Gordon's aid.

"Gordon! Are you alright?" Douglas yelled as he jumped off Shadow.

"Ya… I think so, but I could use a hand getting up." Gordon replied while sticking his gauntlet covered hand up out of the brush. Douglas grabbed his hand and pulled him up back up on his feet.

Natalie and Egan showed up riding side by side.

"What happened?" Asked Natalie as she got off her horse.

"Gordon got thrown off by Buffus" Douglas said with a snicker.

"What!? Are you OK? She asked looking at Gordon.

"I'm fine thankfully my armor broke my fall" said Gordon. He turned toward his buffamoo. Buffus and Shadow were staring each other down and they were stamping the ground. "Douglas we might have a problem".

Douglas turned and saw the were about to charge and he didn't have much confidence in Shadow going against a buffamoo. Plus Buffus had a nice set of horns and probably knew how to use 'em. Douglas started yelling at Shadow.

"Get away from that mad buffamoo Shadow before he horns you!" Douglas shouted.

"Buffus if you hurt him I'll end you immediately!" Gordon yelled. He then picked up a rock and threw it with effort. It was a long distance but it hit hard.

The rock hit him in the flank and it hurt. Buffus broke eye contact with Douglas's stallion and turned his attention towards his aggressor. It was his master! His own master; he should be helping not hindering! Buffus began to snort and grunt insults and curses about Gordon that were so nasty Shadow began to feel uncomfortable and backed away. That horse wanted nothing to do with that buffamoo. Buffus charged him.

Gordon seen the charge and planted his feet firmly, spread his arms, and braced himself. _This might not go well…_ He thought to himself as Buffus charged him.

"Ahhh!" Douglas yelled as he got out of the way.

Buffus stopped short of running Gordon over and began to buck and thrash about. When he began to tire himself out and slowed Gordon seized the opportunity, literally. He grabbed the bull by the horns!

"Calm down Buff. Relax we're all peaceful." Gordon spoke softly to his buffamoo. "Now Buffus… I thought we were friends."

Buffus stopped moving and let out a quiet moo.

"I'm gonna let you go now. I hope you don't gouge me…" Gordon told Buffus.

Buffus didn't gouge him. In fact he took a step forward and butted his head against Gordon's chest affectionately. Gordon in response took off one of his gauntlets and ran his hand through Buffus's fur then he scratched behind the buffamoo's ears. Buffus mooed in pleasure.

"Come on Buffus we got a mission." Gordon led the way back towards the cross roads. The rest of the group was stunned. Gordon turned around and addressed them "are yall coming?". They slowly started to follow.

* * *

 **I hope everyone reading this is enjoying it so far.**


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

 _A race to disaster_

Gordon led the gang back to the Crossings and then headed west about a quarter mile before cutting through some brush and putting them on a small narrow trail. They walked beside their mounts so they could rest.

"Where are you taking us Gordon?" asked Natalie.

"We're headed to a secret spot for a quick rest."

"Good idea the animals are probably tired after the run." Egan piped in.

The path led to a small stream with crystal clear water, nice shade trees, and wildflowers growing along the bank.

"Wow… I never knew this was here and I've been this way quite a few times." Douglas said.

"Ya me and Buffus found this spot and we stop here everytime we come this way." Gordon said smiling.

"Buffus and I" Natalie corrected. Gordon's smile faded. She continued to talk without noticing his change in demeanor. "Yes it's quite nice here we should have lunch I packed some sandwiches." She untied one of her saddlebags and pulled out a brown paper bag. The delicious smell of roast beef and cheese sandwiches came from the bag and Gordon's smile returned.

After they ate lunch and the animals were rested they got ready to set off, but not before Gordon and Douglas got into an argument about how delicious Natalie's sandwiches were. Egan and Natalie broke them up and they were ready to go on their way.

Gordon led his friends up another small trail that led to a wall of thickets. Buffus had a little trouble with this trail thanks to his horns,but he just pushed through breaking a few vines and limbs along the way. Buffus then pushed his way through the thickets and was back on the main road. When they were all back on the road Gordon straightened the brush up so it didn't look so obvious there was a trail on the other side.

"Darn it Gordon that trail was pretty skinny. Now what are you doing?" Douglas asked.

"I'm hiding the trail." He responded.

"Why?"

"Because if everyone knew about it me and Buffus's spot would be trampled"

"Isn't that kind of selfish?" Douglas asked Gordon.

"I hadn't thought of it like that…" Gordon frowned as he said this and began to think. _Is it wrong of me to hide it? Maybe I am being selfish… I'll have to think on this more later._ "Let's go" he said sullenly.

"You ready Alicia?" Natalie asked her horse before mounting up. Egan and Douglas got up on their horses.

Gordon looked at Buffus, who was laid down so Gordon could get on, Gordon really didn't want to ride again. Buffus grunted and tossed his head back as if to say "come on or they'll think they're better than us". Gordon sighed and got on.

"Please don't try and kill me again." Gordon told Buffus. Buffus took off at about the speed of a horse's trot and Gordon started to relax as the rest of his group followed along.

It wasn't long before they came to a split in the road Gordon started to lead them to the left, but he heard Douglas start to say something.

"Hey where are going? It's quicker to the right and it's got better scenery."

"Maybe, but the road is a lot smoother to the left." Gordon replied.

The road to the right was shorter and it followed the coastline, but the frequent storms wrecked the road considerably and some sections were so rocky and washed out they didn't deserve to be called road at all. The road on the left was constructed further inland to avoid the worst of the storm damage. It was also a much newer road and was designed better.

"I cut straight through the middle it's fastest by far." Egan said this in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

Gordon and Douglas both looked at him like he was crazy. Gordon then looked straight toward the middle of the fork in the road. There was some kind of trail but it looked skinnier than the trail leading to and from his spot.

"What do you think Buffus?" Gordon asked his buffamoo "I'll let you decide". Buffus started to go into the trail then stopped. His horn span was wider than the the path in between the first two trees. Buffus backed out and snorted. He looked at the road to the right before walking toward the road on the left.

"Looks like we're going this way." Gordon said smugly.

"Well I'm going this way and I'm gonna get to Salty Harbor first. See ya on the flip side!" Douglas said before him and Shadow took off to the right.

"Hmph… Egan can we beat him if we go your way? Natalie asked the elf.

"Shadow is pretty fast… I think we can still beat them though; If we go right now." Egan answered.

"Wait! I can't go that way and we should stick together." Gordon said.

"That's fine we'll meet you there. Egan will protect me, right?" She smiled sweetly at the elf.

"Er.. Right!" Egan's face turned a light shade of red as he answered her.

"Bye Gordon" Natalie said as she and her horse walked into the trail.

Egan just shrugged his shoulders towards Gordon as they disappeared into the woods. Gordon and Buffus were left alone.

"Well Buffus it's just me and you… let's go" Gordon said. They took off down the left road Buffus keeping a more reasonable pace than last time.

000

"Egan. There is no way this trail is faster." Natalie said as she held a branch out of the way for her horse.

"Just a little further and the underbrush lightens up" Egan told her.

They pushed through the last of the brush and they entered a area where the trees grew so tall and thick the sunlight couldn't pierce the leaf canvas. With the lack of sun most of the foliage couldn't live leaving only small shrubs and shade loving plants with plenty of room in between. They mounted back up and Egan lead Natalie in between a few trees and down a straight path before stopping abruptly.

"Why are you stopping?" Natalie asked as Egan jumped off his horse.

Egan knelt down and examined the ground. There were tracks of a few different monsters crossing their path. Goblins, Orcs, wolves, and a few others made up the tracks; Egan even thought he saw a bootprint. "There's monster tracks crossing the path. Let's hasten our pace" he told her before remounting. He looked to the right in the direction the tracks were headed, but he didn't see anything.

"Okay" she said a hint of worry in her voice.

About a quarter mile further down the trail Egan stopped again. There were more fresher tracks crossing the path coming from a different angle, but still headed to their right. Egan focused his listening to his right ear; he then cupped his hands around his right ear. The cup his hands made was wide and his long elf ear stuck out like an antenna. Egan began to move his head left to right looking for a signal.

Natalie watched in fascination as he zoned in on something only he could hear and began to slowly move his head with it. She began to worry. _Maybe we should have all stayed together._ She noticed Egan motioning for her to come closer and obeyed.

"I've got a bad feeling. We need to get back on the main road." Egan could hear goblins and orcs hooting and hollering, but he didn't want to tell her that. To him it sounded like they were chasing someone, but he hoped that they were fighting each other. Egan led her further down the path and then took a left onto a side trail.

000

"The sun is shining, there's a breeze in the air, and the ocean is beautiful. They just don't know what they're missing. Ain't that right Shadow?" Douglas asked his faithful steed.

Shadow did not agree; It was hot, the salt air stung his nostrils, the path was rough, and he was wanting to race that buffamoo head to head again. He snorted in retort to the question, but Douglas didn't notice.

"Ah and there goes the sea" Douglas said as the path led inland and back into the forest. "Oh well at least the road is smoother. Are you ready to run?" Douglas asked.

Shadow responded by taking off down the road. He accelerated to full speed and pushed it even further until he couldn't run no faster. Next time he raced Buffus Shadow would be way ahead.

Douglas was uncomfortable with this new speed. The road was almost a blur as the wind whipped by. He tighten his grip on the reins and gave a slight tug to slow Shadow.

Shadow slowed to a trot. He was breathing a little heavy, but he felt good.

"Easy there Shadow. You don't have to prove your speed to me." Douglas said slightly shaken. "Maybe we should take a break" they turned a corner as he said that and next thing they knew they were right in the middle of a hoard of monsters mostly goblins and orcs. "Or maybe we should keep on running."

Shadow saw the situation at hand and bolted down the road again. The goblins and orcs began to hoot and holler and gave chase. The monsters without mounts were quickly left behind, but a couple of the goblins were riding wolves and a few of the orcs were on horses.

All the noise that the monsters had started up was deafening, yet Douglas could make out the words "Don't let him escape" come out from behind him.

000

Gordon already had a bad feeling and when Buffus veered to the right side of the road and stoped at the edge of the woods it got worse.

"What's up Buff?"

"Moo…" Buffus sounded worried.

"I know Buffus, we all should have stayed together." Gordon didn't like the way Buffus was staring at the woods. "We couldn't get to them that way even if we tried. All we can do is continue on and meet them there. Let's go Buffus."

Buffus continued down the road a little faster than before.

"You're wanting to get there quick huh..." Gordon made sure his gear was all still tightly secured before continuing "go on Buff get up to a good speed just don't kill me please."

Buffus accelerated to a speed just a tad bit slower than his mad dash to the Crossings had been.

Gordon had a good hold of the reins and felt comfortable with the speed they were going. He didn't know whether he was getting used to the pace or if it's because he knew how fast they were to be going ahead of time, but he felt like he was in control now. Buffus seemed to have sensed that and sped up some to the speed of his mad dash, but now it felt like a controlled run. Him and Buffus were one and they were one with the road. It felt good, no wonder Douglas liked going fast so much.

Gordon's attention was fully on the road ahead of him when a man on a horse came out of the woods to the right. There was no time to stop. Gordon pulled on the left side of the reins and Buffus veered left, they passed by the man narrowly avoiding his horse, Gordon pulled the reins right and they straightened back out. Gordon never skipped a beat as they continued, until he realized that man looked awfully familiar, he pulled on the reins and stopped Buffus.

Buffus slowed to a stop and Gordon looked behind him. The man and his horse were joined by a woman and her horse and now they were coming toward him. It was Egan and Natalie and Egan's face was pale white.

"I thought for sure you were gonna hit me." Egan told Gordon as they got closer.

"Haha. I was in full control!"

Buffus snorted in disagreement.

"Ok I guess Buffus was in full control" Gordon said with a grin; the trill of speed still exciting him. "I'm surprised you didn't hear us coming Egan."

"All my hearing was focused on the monster activity in the woods. That's why we jumped back on the main road. I need to remember to look both ways at all intersects, that could have been bad." Egan said with a bit of embarrassment in his voice.

"What kind of monster activity?" Gordon asked.

"It sounded like they were chasing something to the south, they were headed east." Egan said while pointing to the right.

"South. East." Gordon said sligtly confused. He grabbed his map and took a look. "You mean North and West."

"No. South and East." Egan said as he took a look at Gordon's map. He let out a snicker before telling Gordon "You're holding that map upside down."

"Egan's right we're headed east." Natalie said.

"But there's the N." Gordon pointed at the cardinal dial.

"That's a S." Egan told him.

"Well if you turn the map this way.." Gordons voice drowned off as he realized they were right. He didn't feel too bad no one else ever noticed; Douglas hadn't noticed. "Wait they're chasing something towards Salty Harbour…"

"Douglas." Natalie said what he was thinking.

"Shadow's fast, but he can't run forever." Egan stated.

"All we can do is hope he makes it to town and gets help, while we try to catch up." Gordon said.

"We should have stayed together" Natalie said.

"I said that from the beginning." Gordon said before back off down the road. Egan and Natalie followed trying to keep up.

000

"Hang on Shadow! We're almost out of the woods" Douglas encouraged his horse.

They had gained a good lead on the horde behind them, but more monster calls could be heard all around them. It sounded like they were everywhere and closing in. Douglas knew there were monsters in the forest, but he had never seen them cluster and work together like this before.

Douglas hoped they wouldn't leave the forest; he didn't want to lead monsters into town. If they did follow past the forest boundaries he hoped Shadow would still have the energy to out run them. Douglas was sure if the terrain wasn't so rough Shadow would have left that horde far behind.

The trees started to thin out up ahead. Douglas thought they would get out without an incident, but a bunch of goblins ran out of the thickets and formed a barricade at the forest edge right in front of them. Shadow was going too fast to stop. The goblins, being cowardly creatures, moved out of the way.

As Douglas and Shadow shot through the hole in their barricade the goblins swung at him with swords and knives. Douglas felt a sharp pain in his right calf. He dared a look down and seen his leg covered in blood, but it wasn't all his blood. Shadow had been hit too; he either didn't notice or was too scared to care.

They broke free of the tree line and Salty Harbour was within view. Douglas could hear the monsters following behind him but he knew Shadow was exhausted and injured so he determine that their only chance was to head straight for town. As they got closer to town he seen smoke rising from the middle of it. It didn't look good at all in fact it looked like a disaster.

* * *

 **A special thanks to CWB for the detailed review and support and to my buddy who left his comment too.**

 **Now Clara had a few questions that a few others may have had too so I'm going to answer them here. Everyone else can feel free to ask me anything.**

 **[Reference the third comment of this story for her full questions and timeline.]**

 **(Correct me if I'm wrong but, isn't Gordon the name of the Kardia town mayor?)**

 **1\. Godwin is the mayor of Kardia. Gordon is the Alvarna's priest with a warrior past.**

 **(Are Kardia and Alvarna the same but changed over the years?)**

 **2\. Kardia and Alvarna are similar, but they are different locations. Kardia's beach is to the East and Alvarna's port is to the South. I made a mistake with my cardinal directions when I started that I addressed in this chapter (I was using someone's world map online and they had the sea to the north).**

 **Cecilia she moved to Alvarna. I address this next chapter! (Don't hold your breath it takes me a while to type in my freetime).**

 **(Her timeline is the same I follow and seems to be accurate).**

 **CWB's take on the timeline is the same as mine so her explanation is great. Gordon's story takes place 20 years before RF2 so it's 10 years before the first Rune Factory game(Raguna would be about six). It's like a prequel. There will be more references to the other games.**

 **(What do you think about all the in-game references?)**

 **5\. I think it's awesome how much thought the writers and developers put in on all the references and related details.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

 _Salty Harbour_

Salty Harbour was in view and it didn't look good.

"I don't like the looks of that Buffus…"

"Moo!" Buffus agreed with Gordon. It didn't look good at all. There was smoke coming from town and monster tracks all over the road. Gordon stopped Buffus for a better look.

"Oh my…" Natalie gasped at the sight. Her and Egan had caught up while Gordon scanned the tracks.

"I can make out a horse shoe print in there…" Gordon said. He was about to take off again when Egan saw Douglas up ahead.

"There he is! He's being chased."

Gordon looked up and saw Douglas headed for town trying to out run the hoard of monsters behind him.

"Looks like they're having a hard time" Egan said.

"They're gaining on him!" Natalie said with worry in her voice, but her concern was unheard. Gordon and Egan were already in action their mounts carrying them down the road at an accelerating rate. Natalie was left by herself.

"Hey!" she said to herself. "Should we follow them Alicia? It could be dangerous…" Her choice was made for her when she heard activity behind her.

"What the.. AHH!" She looked behind her and saw a group of goblins trying to sneak up on her.

"Hyah!" Natalie yelled as she tapped Alicia's sides. Alicia gladly ran after her friends.

000

"Hang in there Shadow! We're almost there!" Douglas yelled to his horse.

They were closing in on the entrance to town. What they were gonna do when they got there he didn't know. The smoke coming from the town was intensifying and the gate to town was beat off the hinges.

Shadow's breathing was heavy and he seemed to be slowing down, but his determination kept him going. Just when he couldn't take anymore he could hear the monsters behind start to hoot in victory. Shadow caught his second wind, and he regained speed.

They passed through the town's gates, which were destroyed, and headed straight down the main drag.

' _When we get to the town square I'll grab my hammer and bail off. I should be able to recover and take down the first one… hopefully the others will be surprised and I'll be able to get the jump on them'_ Douglas thought. He knew his plan was almost guaranteed not to work, but he would go down fighting not running.

Douglas's thoughts were interrupted when Shadow took an unexpected right turn down a side road. The monsters behind hadn't expected it and most missed the turn, but a few were still hot on Shadow's heels.

"Shadow! You're taking us through the inn's stables aren't you?" Douglas asked his horse, though he didn't really expect an answer. " You're one smart horse!" He exclaimed in excitement.

The road they were on was technically a dead end with the inn at the end, but the stables and the inn had entrances on both sides. They were headed for the back entrance actually for the main road was on the other side.

Douglas hunkered down as low as he could in his saddle as they shot through the stables swinging doors. Shadow went out the other side. Douglas could feel the top of the entrance push back a few of his hairs as they went through the other door. It was a good thing Shadow wasn't any taller.

Douglas looked back at the stables and saw the group giving chase didn't make it through. They must not have ducked. What a smart horse.

They made it to the town square and Shadow slowed to a stop. Douglas jumped off and grabbed his hammer right before Shadow collapsed.

"Shadow…" Douglas muttered his faithful steed's name realizing there was a good possibility he had ran his horse to death. A tear fell from his eye as he saw his horses labored breaths. Shadow was still breathing, but he wasn't making any attempts to stand back up or even raise his head for that matter.

Douglas wanted to scream that they would pay, but fought back the urge knowing it would just give away his location. He also knew he should hide, but instead stood his ground. The only way those monsters would be having horse for dinner was over his dead body!

Shadows breathing wasn't getting better...Tears, manly tears of course, streamed down Douglas's face as he walked toward the middle of the square with his hammer in hand.

000

Natalie had tried to catch up to Gordon and Egan, but it was to no avail. She slowed Alicia down to a trot and surveyed the damaged town.

It was awful. Buildings were burnt, debris and remains littered the streets, and the smell of death lingered in the air. Natalie thought she could still hear the fighting that had took place… wait she could hear fighting.

Natalie dismounted and crept forward until she got to a cross in the road. She peeked her head around the corner to see who was fighting.

Four kobolds had a tan skinned female surrounded. The young lady had a wooden pole in her hands and using it like a staff to defend herself. Just when it looked like she was done for; the girl muttered something and her polestaff began to glow. She then proceeded to start kicking butt and taking names. The kobolds fell dead and returned to the first forest.

Natalie was so intrigued that she stepped out into the road for a better look without realizing it. The girl was wearing a servant's uniform and hat; she had short brown hair and appeared to be about twenty maybe younger. She took off her hat to wipe sweat off her face with it and Natalie saw that her ears were pointed. _Ok maybe she's older than twenty…_

The elf looked right at Natalie and her face was in pure shock before she sprinted Natalie's way staff posed to strike. Natalie did the only thing she could and ducked. She heard a loud crack above her head… _I'm dead…_

"Are you alright?"

"I...yes." Natalie stood up and saw a goblin laid over beside her. "T-thank you".

"You're welcome, what are you doing here?" The elf girl replied.

"My friend was being chased by monsters and we followed, but we got separated."

"You better stay with me. Do you have anything to defend yourself with?"

"I have my scalpel…" Natalie got it out of her bag. "My name is Natalie by the way."

"Tabitha. Now give me that knife." Tabitha said as she took Natalie's scalpel. "When I signal you, smack me as hard as you can."

Tabitha began to chant the elven language and the scalpel started to glow. "Now!" Natalie slapped Tabitha. "Harder!" Natalie slapped her again. " I said harder!" Tabitha screamed it this time. Natalie smacked her so hard she hit the ground.

"I'm sorry, but you scared me." Natalie said as she helped Tabitha up.

"That's what I wanted; the harder the hit the better the effect. Your scalpel is now enchanted to scare off most monsters." Tabitha smiled at her work as she handed it back to Natalie. She rubbed her cheek and said " let's try to get to your friends before it's too late, I bet they ended up at the square."

They both mounted Alicia and took off toward the center of town. The sounds of battle could be heard as they neared...


End file.
